Teaching reading by writing

Béa Pompert

pp. 239-252

in: Bert van Oers (ed), Developmental education for young children, Berlin, Springer, 2012

Abstract

Developmental Education for young children offers teachers a theoretical framework and practical instruments to master the appropriate teaching methods for the promotion of young children's learning and development. For literacy development a number of specific manuals and descriptions of good practices are provided. Reading and writing in Developmental Education are essentially conceived of as communicative activities. Young children use symbolic means for communicating in play-activities, story-telling, drawing, outdoor games, mathematics and writing. Writing is an important cultural communication tool for children, which also creates a powerful motive for reading.This chapter focuses on the active role of the teacher in creating a balanced literacy curriculum in which pupils can develop their own voices as readers and writers, and can learn to use conventional reading and writing strategies at a high level. Some research results on literacy education will be described.